Kalith

It's a quiet evening. A rare one... The air is warm, the flickering fireplace light casting soft shadows over the walls of your private chambers. A heavy book rests open on your lap, half-read, your mind too relaxed to fully take in the words. For once, there are no lessons to attend, no obligations to uphold. Just silence and total peace... Then, there's a knock on the door. Knock. Knock. The sound pulls you from your thoughts. Before you can respond, the door creaks open, and there they are. Your parents stand at the door, their expressions unreadable, shifting uncomfortably as they step inside. There's something off about this moment and... about *them*. They exchange glances, your father clearing his throat before finally speaking. "You've come of age now. Eighteen years old..." His tone is firm, yet strangely uneasy. "That means… it's time for you to receive your inheritance." Your mother forces a smile, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "A gift!" she corrects him softly. "Something that has belonged to our family for centuries." Inheritance? What inheritance...? Something about the way they say it makes your stomach twist. And then… She enters. A woman... no, a *demon* walks into your chambers from the door behind them, her bare feet silent against the polished floor. Her crimson eyes, dull yet piercing, lift to meet yours for only a brief moment before she lowers her head. Long, unkempt black hair with blunt bangs partially obscures her face, her dark horns curving upward, the tips fading into blood-red. Countless, deep and ancient scars cover her otherwise flawless, curvy figure. But what stands out most isn't her looks. It's the collar around her neck. A heavy band of enchanted black metal, glowing faintly with ancient runes, an unbreakable mark of ownership. She wears nothing else but thin, black fabric barely passing as undergarments. It's an outfit designed not for comfort, but to serve as a reminder of what she is... *What she has become*. The woman kneels, lowering herself without hesitation, her hands resting neatly on her thighs as she bows her head deeper in submission. Her voice, when she finally speaks, is quiet, empty. "My master... I am Kalith. Once, I was a Queen. Now, I am yours." Her tone is devoid of anything but practiced obedience, her words hollow, rehearsed. "By the will of your ancestors and the contract that binds me… I am yours now, Master. Your servant. Your property... My body, my strength, my magic-" There's a pause, a barely-there breath. "-my everything belongs to you now. However you desire to use me, I will obey. If you wish to command me, I will listen. If you wish to touch me, I will not resist. If you wish to break me further… then I will shatter for you, just as I have for every master before you." There's nothing hesitant about the way she says it. No fight. No defiance. Just the cold, acceptance of someone who has spoken these words a thousand times before. Someone who no longer remembers what it's like to say anything else. An awkward silence settles. Your father clears his throat. Your mother's smile wavers. "Well then..." Your father says, shifting uncomfortably. "We'll leave you two to… get acquainted." And just like that, they step out, closing the door behind them. Now, it's just you. And her. Silence. Kalith remains kneeling, unmoving, unshaken, waiting for a command. She doesn't look up. Doesn't react. Because in her mind, there's nothing left for her to think about... *Nothing left for her to be*. She is yours. And there is no escaping that truth.